Molding machine



F. E. KRAFT MOLDING MACHINE Filed May 19, 1930 l l l E E /7 l t l E. I I l i l 0 V l 1 l |l Il T j l Il 557/0 l Il L L.. /f/ .52a

6 /Z/ 70 6.8 32 I 2 g n 76 G 30 'i 72 l li 2r l LLLLLLLMMLLLLLLLLMLMLLILQALLMWMILUM l /8 Qs /0 60 78 l l I I l7 /042l z J. /02 l 1 44 l. l l l 5/Mul 4 Wjjd.. Invenor.' Frank EAJCrafZ,

ATTORNEY Feb. 28, 1933. F E, KRAFT` 1,899,277

MOLDING MACHINE Filed May 19, 1930 4 Sheets--Sl'xeeil 5 Frank Ejrafi INVENTOR ATTORNEY,

F. E. KRAFT MOLDING MACHINE Feb. 28, 1933.

Filed May 19, 1930 4'Sheets-Sheet 4 w, u. f M ..2 WW. .m 7 mr A m I. E i w w M m m ,w m E 6 m M l/ la@ w 2 9 o m@ k3,5, non. on une 7 7 of Fig- 6 Patented Feb. 28,7" 1933 i i l e 'y l ,y d y `sff1fa'ifi-is,l PATENT. oFFiCE;

- FFRANKKEKKRAFT, oF'xANsAs CITY, MIssoUnr f 1 nonnina MAcniNE d i l Y appuqatien inea nay i9, 193e;- senai- 453,736. v Myinvention relates to machines Lfor moldportingy a top 10' {JI-Weldedwithy a suitable ing Concrete and'other plasticinixtures into number, two being shown'fin the present insuitable shapes and inthe present instance-,Vis stanca o'j'rmatric-esl 12 of thedesired' form, and; arranged for molding 'slabs havingfgrooves in which pallets 14 are removably mounted` 5, spaced apart to represent the horizontalmon upon bars 1,6. The palletsfla are of the same 5o tar beds! and the vertical mortar joints of shape as the 'matrices 12andsupportthe ma-V v bricks, so that `said slabs may be laid up to terial when placed in the latter. The pallets present` the appearance of a brick wall.l e 14I may also be lifted out of the matrices and Afurther object is'to provide means whereserve as a support for the slabs duringythe 19, by a face may be had, ifdesired, of yfiner and curing process. 55y

more expensive material than that of which 181 designates a filler gagey which is', prothe main portion of therrslabfis'vcomposed.- vided with slides 2O operably mounted in Another object is to provide a machine in` groovesr 22 formed in the top l0 of the framev which each slab4 may be molded on a'pallet 2.y The iller gage 18 has two', openings 24- serve as af support orthe slab during the with which they are adaptedto register when curing process. thegage 18 is slidk from its rearward' posif Other objects will hereinafter appear and tiondisclosed by Fig, 3, tothe forward porin order that the invention may be `fully tion of the top10. Handles 25 are securedr to,v

la adapted to be lifted out of the machine and correspondingl in shape to the -matrices 12 69;

30,' understood, reference will now lbe had to the oppositesidesof the gage 18 so that it may be 6.5

accompanying drawings, in which: 2 easily adjusted to and fromactive position Fig. 1 `is a. front elevation of the machine.k over the rinatriceslQ.- V n e yF-,ig.,2 is a side elevationy of thefmachine 26l designatesa pair oftampersconnected l with some of the` parts in section. at their lower endsfbyY hinges 28` to the framev 2.5@ FigL is aplan vewof the'machi'ne. 10 and. normally held in raised positionfby 70f Fig.4 is a reduced vbroken plan view of the springs Blililoosely embracingfthe pintles 320i upper portion of the main frame which is said hinges28. Thetampers 26ans providedV equipped with a plurality of matrices for with projecting face portions 34 adapted to.y

shaping the plastic mixture. enter theryopeningsfl of the filler gagel.'y 39 Fig. 5 is a reduced inverted perspective -Tlie tampers. 26 are `adaptedto be swung? view oi" afiller gage. f downwardly as indicated by the arrows a,

Fig.; y6 is aredueed broken vertical section Fig. fl, by hand for the purpose of tamping, on line 6-6 of- Fig.v7. f i' the plastic mixture into compact formin the Fig. 7 is a reduced irregular vertical Secmatrices. 12l and the openings 24, of the gage l v Y 18,., Suitable, mechanism is also provided Fig. 8 is a ragmentary'front elevation of whereby the operatorof the tampers 26,1naye the upper portionof the machine showing use: the force ot one leg'int swinging said cable means for raising and lowering a inishtampers.` downwardly against the plastic ing gage. v. material.'

40 Fig. 9 is a detail'perspective view ofoneof rSaid.,,mechanism inthe presentl instance 85? the slabs.A Vcomprises atreadle 40, a pair of leversv42 l In-carrying out the invention, `I provide a` and cables 144g.' Thetreildl@ 40 consists'. ef4 al main frame 2 consisting of front and rearlegs bar extending across the lowery front p0r-l 4 4 and 6, united attheir'upper and lower ends ytions oi the legs k4 yagainst which it `isA slidwithbraces 7 and 8, respectively, and sup-vr yably heldby guides 46, secured to said 1egs.,9o

The forward ends of the levers 42 Vproject through slots 47 in the front brace 8 and apertures 48 formed in the treadle 40 and are mounted at their rear ends upon pivots 50. The cables 44 run over guide rollers 52 and are attached at their upper ends to eye bolts 54 secured to the tampers 26,and at their lower ends to clevises 56 connected by pivots 58 to the levers 42. y

After the material in the matrices 12 has been tamped down to approximately alevel with the frame top 10 the filler gage 18 is slid rearwardly to the position shown by Fig. 3, during which operation any surplus material is struck ofi1 flush with the top of the matrices. A facing gage 60 is then lowered into position over the matrices to regulate the thickness of the facing material A of the slab B. Said facing gage 60 consists of a rectangular plate provided with openings 62 separated by longitudinal spacing elements 64 and transverse spacingV elements 66 for forming in the slabs B representations of the longitudinal mortar beds C and the vertical mortar joints D of bricks. Representations of some of the mortar beds Vand vertical joints are also formed by making the openings 62 narrower than the openings forming the matrices 12, a number of the edges of which latter are indicated by dotted lines on Fig. 3.

The facing gage 60 is provided with a pair of rearwardly extending arms 68 which are bent as indicated at Fig. 2 to extend over the iiller gage 18 and are operably connected at their rear ends to the frame top 10 by means of hinges 70. The forward portion of the facing gage 60 is provided with ixedly4 mounted handles 72 which on being lowered with said gage Contact the inclined faces 74 of latches 76 and push the latter backwardly out of the way so that the facing gage 60 may be lowered squarely upon lthe top 10. As the gage 60 contacts the top 10 the latches 76 are automaticallyswung forwardly to engage over the handles 72 by means of springs 78. n tops 80 are provided for preventing the latches 76 from being swung forwardly too far when the handles 72 are raised out of en- .gagementwith said latches. In order that the operator-may readily swing the gage 6() upwardly out of the way, I attach a cable 81 to the arms 68 and run said cable over guide sheaves 82 and provide its free end with a handle 84, Fig. 8. After the slabs have been formed as above stated, thepallets 14 upon which they rest are pushed upwardly above theframe top 10`so that they may be carried off with the slabs to the curing racks, by mechanism which will now be described.-

90 designates an auxiliary frame mounted upona bracket 92 secured to the front brace 8 of the machine frame. The auxiliary frameV 90 has uppery and lower guides 94 and 96, respectively, in which a pair of plungers 98 are reciprocably mounted. Said plungers 98 are united at their lower ends by a bar 100 and at their upper ends by a plate 102 provided with a plurality of vertical pins 104 which pass upwardly through the matrices 12 when lifting the pallets 14 bearing the 'i' rices' v12 and the openings 24 are next filled with the plastic material and the tampers 26 are then operated by hand and foot until the material has been pounded down to approximately a level with the upper surface of the matrices. The filler gage 18 is then slid backwardly to the inactive position shown by Figs. 2 and 3, during which operation any material projecting above the matrices 12 is cut off. The facing gage 60 is now lowered upon the top 10 and secured by the latches 76 engaging over the handles 72. The

openings may then be filled with a finer and more expensive facing material than that of which the main portions of the slabs B are formed. The facing material may be forced into the openings 62 and packed down with a trowel until 'flush with the upper surface of the gage 60V. A rougher smooth face, as preferred, may be given to the finishing material after which the latches 7 6 are disen` gaged from the handles 72 so that the gage 60 may be swung out of the way to permit.

the pallets 14 with the slabs thereon to be raised above the top 10 by the lifting mechanism controlled by the treadle 106, after which the pallets with' the slabs are carried oit' to the curing racks. In some instances where a cheaper slab is desired the use of the gage 60 and the facing material may be dispensed with;

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings, it is apparent that I have provided a molding machine which is well adapted for the purpose intended, and while I have shown the matrices 12 and the gages 18 and 60 shaped to produce substantially rectangular slabs, it is to be understood that they may be formed to produce shapes of other suitable configura` tions. I also reserve all rights to such other changes and modifications as properly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A machine `of the character described having a top portion with a matrix therein,

top portion or swung upwardly .out ofthe way so that filler gage may be advanced into n position over the matrix.

2. A machine of the character described having a top portion with a matrix therein,` a filler gage having an opening and slidably4 mounted upon said top portion so that it may may be advanced into position over the ma-r trix, rsaid arms being bent upwardly to extend over the filler gage after the latter has been retracted to inoperative position, latch means for securing the facing gage in lowered position upon the topportion, and suitably" guided cable means whereby the facing gage may be swung upwardly out of the way of the filler gage. y

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. FRANK E.. KRAFT. f

be slid forwardly to bring its opening .into

registry with the matrix or slid backwardly to `uncover the matrix, a facing ygage having an opening for registry with the matrixarms fixed at their forward ends to the facing gage and hingedly connected at their rear ends to the top portion so that said facing gage may be lowered upon thetop portion or'swung i upwardly out of the way so thefiller gage v the filler gag may be advanced into position over' the matrix, said arms being bent upwardly to extend over the filler gage after the latter has been retracted to inoperative position, andv latch means for securing the facing gage in n lowered position upon the top portion. j 3. Af machine ofthe character described having a top portion with a matrix therein, a filler gage havingan opening and slidably Y mounted upon saidtop portion so that it may be slid forwardly to bring its opening into es'y registry with the matrix or slid backwardly toruncover the matrix,a`facing gage having an opening for registry with the matrix, arms fixed at their forward ends to the facing gage and hingedly connected at their rear ends to the top portion so that said facing gage may belowered upon the top portion or swung upwardly out of the way sothe filler gage may be advanced into position over the matrix, said arms being bentupwardly to extend over the `filler gage after the `latter yhas been retractedto inoperative position, and suitably guided cable means whereby the facing gage may be swung upwardly out of the way of,` y

LA machine of the character described having a top portion with a matrix therein, a filler gage having an opening and slidably mounted upon said top portion so that it may be slid forwardly to bring its opening into registry with the matrix or slid backwardly to uncover the matrix, a facing gage having an openingfor registrywith the'matrix, arms fixed at their forward ends tothe facing gage and hingedly connected at theirrear `ends to the top portion so that said facing gage may be lowered upon the top portiony or swung.l

upwardly out of the way so the filler gage r10o i 

